Do local elections matter?

Once Southwark's street cleaners were out when the pavements were empty. Now rush hour commuters dodge their brooms - and it's all in the name of democracy.

The change is part of a campaign to boost the local councils' reputation by ensuring that people can see them at work.

With elections in England looming next month, showing why councils matter could persuade people to vote for their councillor.

Turnout continues to be low in council polls - in 2003 it was 36% on average in England, in 2004, when European elections were held the same day, it was 41%. Only coinciding with last year's general election took it to 61%

Part of the problem seems to be that people just do not know what their councils do and have a low opinion of them.

LOCAL ELECTION TURNOUT

• 2003: 36%
• 2004: 41%
• 2005: 61% (same day as general election)

Mori polls last year suggested that only 1% of people speak highly of their council without prompting, and only 15% if asked.

Two thirds of people also said they knew "hardly anything" or "just a little" about their local council. All this despite the fact that 4% of those asked worked in local government.

The survey found people were often very happy with local services such as libraries and recycling collections - they just did not associate them with their council - perhaps because they carried no council logos.

The Southwark street cleaners are part of efforts encouraged by the Local Government Association's Reputation Campaign - although the council says the rush hour shifts also help clear up commuters' litter immediately.

About 150 councils are signed up to the campaign, whose initiatives include clearly branding services as being run by councils or sending A-Zs of council services to every household.

Ben Dudley, project manager of the Reputation Campaign, said: "It's about getting people to realise what the council does for them and in turn to raise the standing of their council."

He says that the traditional "Have Your Say" posters and articles have had little impact in driving up turnout.

The campaign aims to show people in their everyday lives why these local elections really do matter.

Old impressions?

With a weary sigh, one long-time local councillor in North-East Lincolnshire admits treading the campaign trail can be a bit depressing.

"It's disappointing when you know that the turnout will be only 35-40%," he says.

"It's disappointing because local government provides many of the basic services which everyone relies upon every day of their lives."

He believes people have an out-dated image of councillors.

"It's not like 30 years ago trotting along to a few meetings and deciding a few small issues," he says.

Turn offs

Such issues as care for the elderly, major planning decisions, pub licensing and, increasingly, scrutiny of parts of the NHS are all decided in the committee rooms of town halls.

This message is the focus of the Electoral Commission's radio and print advertisements in the run-up to the polls as it tries to boost voting rates.

They will show pictures of people walking in streets and parks with pointers to what the council runs.

But even the strongest advocates of local government admit councillors' hands are often tied by national targets and the fact that 75% of what councils spend comes from central government.

Another turn-off for would-be voters is they feel they simply do not know who to vote for: they might not read the local press, find the election literature vague or contradictory, or feel few community ties if they are living away from their home towns.

Tight fights

Not all local politics is local. Some voters will treat the council elections as a national referendum, a chance to show mid-term contentment or, more likely, discontent with the government.

The media and, when it suits them, the political parties are willing participants in the game of deciding what the elections really mean on the national stage.

Are they a sign of Tony Blair's ebbing power or a show of his survival instincts? Will be they be the tests which make or break new Conservative and Lib Dem leaders David Cameron and Sir Menzies Campbell?

In national elections a frequent complaint is that people cannot make a difference when some MPs have majorities of thousands.

Edmund McMahon Turner, of the Local Democracy Campaign, says this is where local elections have a trump card: many councillors have slim majorities of 20 or 30 votes so every vote can swing the election.

That is why the party canvassers will be knocking on your doors telling you why your local council vote matters - and where you should put your cross.